Congressman Reichert serves as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk Assessment.
As the Ranking Member, Reichert has jurisdiction over federal, state, and local intelligence and information sharing efforts within the United States; terrorism-related threat, vulnerability, and risk analyses at the Department of Homeland Security; and terrorism threat advisories and warnings.
Congressman Reichert also serves on the Subcommittee on Border, Maritime, and Global Counterterrorism.
The Committee on Homeland Security was established in 2002 to provide Congressional oversight for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and better protect the American people against a possible terrorist attack. In 2005, The House of Representatives granted the Committee on Homeland Security permanent status. The Committee was chartered to hold hearings and craft legislation for issues specific to homeland security. Under Chairman Peter King’s (NY-03) leadership, the Committee passed several landmark pieces of bipartisan homeland security legislation, including the SAFE Port Act, Chemical Plant Security legislation, and FEMA reform.
During his first term in Congress, Reichert was only the sixth freshman in the history of the House of Representatives to be appointed a Subcommittee Chairmanship. As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Science and Technology, Chairman Reichert led the way in drafting comprehensive legislation to fix the emergency response problems associated with FEMA following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This legislation included a section on improving the ability of first responders to communicate during emergencies and it was signed into law on October 4, 2006.